Ukraine wants to use premises of former Russian Consulate General in Poznan - Sybiha

Ukraine is interested in using the premises of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan, which is being vacated due to Warsaw having recognized Russian diplomats in the city as personae non grata and the closure of the consular institution.

In an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he is ready to accept the building for use as a site for a Ukrainian consular institution.

“Ukraine is interested in receiving for use the premises of the former Russian Consulate General in Poznan. I am grateful to my Polish counterpart for this offer. We have already sent an official note to the Polish side with a corresponding request and are waiting for specific details. There are many Ukrainian citizens in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, so we are considering Poznań as one of the possible locations for expanding our consular presence in Poland,” the head of Ukrainian diplomacy noted.

Recently, during a meeting with residents of Roketnica in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that, if Ukraine applies to use the real estate site that will be vacated by the Russians to open its own consular institution in the city, Warsaw will treat it with “the greatest favor”. He noted that the lease agreement for this real estate expires late November. By that time, the Russians will have to completely vacate it. According to the official, the current network of Ukrainian consulates, taking into account the unprecedented growth in the number of Ukrainian citizens in Poland, fails to meet consular needs.

As Ukrinform reported, Russian diplomats, with the Consulate General in Poznań closed by the decision of the Polish Foreign Ministry, shall leave Poland by November 30. Poland has withdrawn its consent to the operation of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan due to its participation in the preparation of sabotage actions both in Poland and in European countries. The Russian staff of the Consulate General in Poznan has been declared personae non grata in the Republic of Poland. The Russian side has stated it will respond to Warsaw's move, but no decisions have been made yet.

Currently, five state consular institutions of Ukraine operate in Poland: consulates general in Lublin, Krakow, and Wroclaw, a consulate in Gdansk, and a consular department in Warsaw. In addition, Ukraine operates nine honorary consulates across Poland.